In today’s world, there has been an evident rise in the mediums of
mass communication. Video Games, is an industry that is said to be an
entirely new mass media due to its sheer size and impact of the
industry as a whole. All over the world, be it a village in
sub-Saharan Africa or cities in Japan, video games are increasing in
popularity and there has been a considerable growth in the industry.
In fact, the videogame industry has surpassed the film industry in
terms of revenue growth rate, with a shocking growth of 28.4% compared
to an insignificant 1.8% displayed by the film industry. In my
opinion, video games can indeed be considered another new mass media
due to the influence it has around the world in terms of popularity
and their sheer potential to influence children and adolescents alike.
Video games are extremely different from conventional movies and music
in the sense that there is a sense of interaction involved in this
form of recreation. When one watches movies or listens to music, there
is minimal interaction between the user and the source. However, with
a video game, one can ‘feel’ that one is part of the experience and
children especially can relive their action hero or be part of their
favorite sport team, almost making video games a medium through which
a higher form of recreation can be achieved. With the advent of high
definition gaming such as Play station 3, Xbox360, Nintendo Wii, the
gaming experience is so realistic that one can play with people around
the world, at given time and can emulate almost anything. Videogames
are extremely addictive: it is well known that there have been deaths
in the past in countries like Japan due to video game addiction. With
networks such as the Play station Live Network, it is possible to
watch movies, get access to global news, download music, reflecting on
a never-before witnessed convergence. Videogames open doors to new
dimensions of both an enhanced educational as well as a recreational
experience and for this reason, one can anticipate the industry to
grow exponentially in the future.
